Klance
Avatar AU

Lance whistled as he wandered around town, hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked up to the sky with a soft hum.

"Lance, Lance!"

The water tribe member turned, then grinned as several little children stumbled around each other to reach the older teen. "Lance, you promised to show us the trick!"

"The trick!" Another kid echoed, blue eyes bright as they looked up at him.

Lance grinned and crouched. "Sure! Just follow me over to the fountain."

The children giggled and filed after Lance to the center of their village. All the children gathered around the edge of the fountain, eyes wide as they waited.

The water bender chuckled, then spread his arms forward. As he raised his arms, little droplets of water rose from the flowing fountain. The children watched in anticipation, heads tilting back the farther the droplets went. Lance slowly closed his fists, drawing the droplets together to form a ball. Just a small ball of water. He twisted his fists, and the water froze instantly. One of the children gasped. Lance smiled, then slowly began to open his fists.

Piece by piece, the ball fell apart, though still the shards hovered in the air. Once his palms were flat, little shards were all that was left of the ice ball. Lance clapped his hands and the shards broke until they were little snowflakes.

The children squealed giddily as the snow began to fall on their heads.

Lance smiled as he watched the children prance around, giggling and cheering, then beginning to make snowballs out of the snow already on the ground to throw at each other.

The water bender sat on a nearby bench to watch, then looked down as one of the smaller children tried to climb up to sit beside him. Lance chuckled, then helped the kid up and onto his lap. "Hey, Lilie. What's up?"

The little girl smiled up at him. "I wanted to sit with you until mama comes!"

Lance chuckled, carding his fingers through her dark hair. "Alright."

Lilie giggled, nestling into the teen. She snuggled the white and gray fur that lined his coat. Lilie reached up and gently took the shell on his necklace in her fingers. "Do you miss them? Your family?"

"Everyday." Lance whispered, rubbing her back while she carefully examined his shell. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about them."

Lilie looked up at him with sad eyes. "Mama wonders how you can smile. She said that it's too hard to smile after losing people you love so preciously."

Lance chuckled, shifting the little girl on his lap. "It is hard to smile, Lilie..." He kissed the top of her head, hugging her close. "But I have other people I love and want to see happy, too. I have people to live for."

The little girl giggled. "The Avatar might be everyone else's hero, but you're definitely my hero."

"Thanks, Lilie. That means so much to me." Lance murmured with a soft smile. Lilie shuffled and stretched to kiss his cheek. Lance ruffled her hair, then shooed her off to play with the other village children.

~

"Hunk! Pidge!" Lance dashed out from the croud and straight to the visitors.

Hunk laughed as the lanky teen embraced him. "Hey, dude! It's been a while!"

Lance grinned, then ruffled Pidge's hair. The air bender huffed and stuck her tongue out at him. "How's my favorite air bender and earth bender been!?"

"Fine."

"I finally asked Shay to marry me!"

"Congrats, man!" Lance grinned, placing his hands on the bigger earth bender's shoulders. "Tell me I'm the best man."

"You're my best man and Pidge is Maid of Honor."

Lance pumped his fist. "That's so sweet!"

Hunk chuckled, then cleared his throat. "Yeah, well... That's not why we're here." Lance tilted his head. "We - Pidge and I - came to pick you up... For a journey."

A frown slowly drew Lance's lips down and his hands slid off his friend's shoulders. "I... Can't... You know what happened last time..."

The earth bender nodded, then Pidge stepped forward. "Lance, we went to Princess Allura before we came here. She suggested you - chose you to go."

Lance shook his head. "No way. Not after last time."

"Lance, you're the strongest water bender." Hunk took a step forward as Lance stepped back. "We need you."

Lance gulped, then looked down as little arms wrapped around his leg. "Lilie?"

Lilie smiled. "You said you loved adventures." She looked down and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a bracelet she must have made. "Here. Take it and think about me every day until you come back. We'll be okay." Lilie grinned and held up the piece of jewellery. Lance smiled down at her and carefully took the gift. "I'll help you pack, if you want."

Lance chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Just for you, Lilie."

~

"Oh, hell no."

"Lance, it's too late."

"Fuckin'-! You never fucking told me there would be a fire bender coming with us!" Lance snapped, waving his arms wildly in gesture to the two fire benders sitting calmly at the table - one of them being the avatar.

Pidge trotted over at sat beside the taller fire bender. "Hey, Shiro. 'Sup, Keith."

Keith waved and Shiro smiled at her.

Hunk sighed and led Lance back out of the dining area. "Lance, I get it. I understand."

"No. Clearly you don't. You've forced me on a boat with someone from the fire nation. I understand the Avatar, but not the guy with the mullet," Lance sneered, tossing his arm out towards the door they just came through. "Hunk, you know I can't-"

"I know." Hunk sighed, placing his hands gently, but firmly, on Lance's shoulders. "I know, buddy. It's hard. But I promise once this is over that I won't do this to you ever again."

Lance breathed deeply. "Promise?"

Hunk smiled and nodded. "I promise, buddy. Now go get something to eat."

~

Lance avoided the younger fire bender at all costs the first and the second day, but the third day at sea was a little difficult. The fire bender had somehow kept finding him everywhere. Like, how?

"What do you want?" Lance grumbled as he tried to eat his food, the fire bender sitting across from him.

"I want to know why you refuse to be anywhere near me." He huffed in response, folding his arms.

Lance shrugged. "'Cause I don't wanna be near you."

The fire bender glowered. "Do you even know my name?" Lance shrugged again.

"I think Pidge said something along the lines of 'keef.'"

"No! Not even close! My name is Keith!" Keith shouted, slamming his palm down on the wooden table. Lance only glanced up from his tray of food. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you?" Lance countered, gesturing to Keith with his fork. "You just hit the poor table."

Keith bristled. "The table has no feelings." He sneered. "What is your issue? Why are you avoiding me?"

Lance sighed and stood. "Fire and water don't exactly mix all too well." He mumbled and walked away with his tray.

~

For the rest of the week, whenever Keith and Lance would cross paths, there would be tension or a petty fight.

The fights never got as far as using their bending techniques, but Hunk felt they may as well have and no one would notice the difference.

Hunk winced - though Shiro and Pidge were unfazed - as Keith stormed in, cursing and kicking over a barrel. "The fuck is his damn issue!? We're landing tomorrow, and we've in no way come close to working together!"

Shiro sighed. "Keith, calm down."

"I can't calm down!" The fire bender snapped. "That damn water bender needs to pull himself together, or-"

"Lance doesn't need to pull anything together." Shiro shot Keith a look and the shorter snapped his mouth shut. "You're the one who needs to be patient with him. Now, I understand that patience isn't your strong suit, but Lance needs what little patience you have."

"But why-"

"Keith." The fire bender ducked his head. "It's none of your concern. Maybe, if you're patient and don't push him, he'll talk to you. Right, Hunk?"

Hunk nodded. "Yeah. Lance will totally open up. Geez, Shiro. You've never met the guy before, yet it's like you know more about him than I do!"

Shiro chuckled. "You and Katie complain and rant about him all the time. I feel like I've known him my whole life with how much I do know about him."

Pidge huffed. "You called me Katie again."

"Sorry."

Keith sighed and sat down. "I'll try to be patient with him."

Shiro nodded in approval. "Good. I'm glad... Because we're splitting up tomorrow for supplies and you're paired with Lance."

"Damnit!"

~

Keith grumbled under his breath as he walked beside Lance, the water bearer mirroring him, though while reading the list Pidge had given him.

The glances and whispers didn't go unnoticed by either benders. Keith simmered down and lowered his head, realizing they were talking about him. Mothers began to usher their children away and men glared with a threat on the tip of their tongues.

Lance noticed, and sighed. Both turned their heads as a child fell in the street. Lance gasped as a cart rocked, then slipped from its noose and came barreling down the hill towards the child. Lance darted forward, snatched the child, and rolled out of the way. Keith grabbed the cart's handle and dug his heals into the ground to stop the roll.

The child clung to Lance as he stood and walked over to the panicking mother. "Not a scratch." Lance murmured with a smile while the mother gathered her daughter.

"Thank you so much! Aie, tell him thank you."

Aie peeked over her shoulder. "Thank you, mister." Lance smiled and waved at her, causing her to blush and bury herself back in her mother's shoulder.

The man whom owns the cart came,down the hill, hurriedly thanked Keith, apologized to the mother, and dragged his cart back to its post.

~

Keith dropped his head on the table as Shiro sat beside him. The younger fire bender released a loud groan and Shiro laughed.

"So, I heard that a waterbender had saved a little girl while the firebender stopped the cart today near the town square." Shiro nudged Keith. "Well? Did I hear correctly?" Keith nodded with a pathetic whine. Shiro chuckled, ruffling Keith's hair. "I told you, Keith. Lance isn't bad. Just have some patience with him."

The fire bender sighed softly. "I will."

~

Keith wasn't sure when it started, but every time he was around Lance now, his heart would lurch giddily and his stomach would churn nervously. Sometimes, his cheeks would heat up.

Lance didn't bother picking fights, but he also didn't bother trying to get along with Keith. The firebender often found himself being annoyed with Lance, but then Lance would do just one little thing and it would ease Keith or send his heart fluttering joyously in his ribcage.

Whenever they'd stop in a village, Lance would be surrounded by children if Keith wasn't nearby. Lance's smile was so kind and happy and beautiful.

Keith realized that he was falling in love with that smile.

The realization completely dawned on him, giving him no doubt about his feelings, when he found Lance on the deck one quiet night. His gaze was deep with sorrow, water slithering through his barely moving fingers. The breeze rustled Lance's dark, chestnut locks and the furs on his coat.

Carefully, Keith approached the water bender. "Something keeping you up?"

Lance hummed, his other hand going to the shell on his necklace. "Just thinking about home."

Keith folded his arms over the railing and looked down at the water. "You do know you're supposed to be keeping watch, right?"

The waterbender chuckled. "Yeah... I know..." He let the water fall limp and drip through his fingers, back into the sea. Lance twisted his wrist and pulled up his bracelet. "Just before I left, a little girl named Lilie had made this for me and told me I was her hero."

Keith tilted his head and looked back to Lance. "Her hero? Was she your sister?"

"No." Lance sighed, eyes on the bracelet. "My neighbor. One of the twelve children below fifteen left."

"Left?" Keith echoed and Lance closed his eyes.

"Our village used to be full of children. Especially from my family." Keith's chest suddenly tightened ans he gulped.

"You... What happened to your family?" Keith whispered cautiously.

Lance breathed deeply. "Long story. You sure you was to hear?" His voice was playful, but his eyes were sad as he opened them to looked at Keith. The fire bender nodded.

The water bender turned back to face the stretch of water while Keith kept his eyes on Lance. "Two years ago... Hunk and Pidge wanted to take me to meet Shiro. Pidge knew him since she was little and Hunk had met him a couple times. Allura told me stories about him ans he had become like my hero. When they came, mom told me to go. She knew how much I looked up to Shiro and I had never been away from the village before." Nostalgia crossed Lance's face and a sad smile curled his lips. "Mom practically forced me out of the house because I was worried about leaving my siblings with her. It was hunting week, so dad was gone as well as a bunch of other men, so Mom was taking care of us alone. Well, I went... And a couple days in, we stopped at an earth village. We were sitting in a cafe, and I started to notice these looks I was getting."

"Bad looks?"

"No... Sympathetic." Lance chuckled deeply. "I'd rather they have been nasty."

Keith licked his lips. "What happened then?"

Lance breathed in, raising his head to look at the sky. "I overheard one of them talking... 'I heard there was an attack... On the west water village... It was the fire nation.' Those exact words from one mother holding her child to another mother. Those words have been in my head since. We turned the ship right back around to my village... As it got cold again the closer we got, I began to see smoke in the distance. I prayed and prayed it was just some party bonfire, but I knew... I just knew..."

The fire bender breathed deeply, placing a hand over Lance's. The water bender didn't refuse.

"I ran off the ship once we reached shore, and headed straight for my house." Lance closed his eyes, brows furrowing and voice becoming strained. "The outside was burnt and inside reeked of smoke, but seemed untouched otherwise. No one was home, so I thought they were helping others and were safe." Keith closed his eyes and turned his head away. "I walked out to see the medic, Sara, standing there. She looked so sad and I... It felt unreal... Like a dream... I couldn't feel anything as I followed her... Then there was my little sister... Just laying in an infirmary bed, trying to breathe, trying not to move her arms or legs... She was it... My only family left. The original infirmary collapsed on my brothers, dad came home early and was trapped in flames, and mom was... She died trying to save a baby... Rosie cried as she saw me and I promised I'd never leave her again... It took Rosie two days... Two days to die of smoke inhalation... Then my family was just... Gone."

Keith felt Lance's hand twitch beneath his, as if wanting to reach out and grab at something that wasn't there. Keith looked back up to Lance. "I'm sorry... You must hate the fire nation for what we've done..."

"Not all of them, Keith." Said bender blinked owlishly. "It just... Takes me a while to trust in one..."

The shorter licked his lips. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked."

Lance smiled. "It's okay. I haven't talked about it, so it's nice getting it off my chest."

Keith smiled, then chuckled. Lance tilted his head and raised a brow. "Sorry, it's just... I think that's the first time you've said my actual name."

The water bender laughed softly. "Yeah, I guess it is." Lance mused. "You're not so bad after all, Keith."

"Neither are you." Keith nudged Lance gently and his heart fluttered as Lance flashed him a gentle smile. "Is that why you've become the strongest water bender of your generation?"

"I guess so." Lance shrugged, looking down at the water. "But I guess it's really because... It may seem selfish, but, I just wanted to become stronger so I won't have to go through that pain of losing everyone I love again... I told Hunk I didn't want to go out on another 'adventure' because of what happened last time... But I think this has been good for me... Hey, wanna see a trick?"

Keith tilted his head. "A trick?"

Lance nodded with a big grin. "Yup! I've been practicing it since I was little everyone loves it."

The firebender nodded. "Yeah. I'd like to see it."

~

Keith wanted to get closer to Lance. He wanted Lance to confide more in him, though that may seem selfish.

Lance had already opened up so much to him, so it must be selfish to want more.

So, Keith avoided asking for more, but couldn't help himself sticking around to hear more. Lance didn't seem to mind, though.

Well, he didn't refuse Keith's presence.

He also didn't refuse Keith's hand as they'd stand on the deck during either of their turns for watch. Keith loved the colder feel of Lance's skin against his warmer skin, the difference due to their bending abilities.

Keith was especially tired one day after stopping in another earth bending village. Their fingers wove together and he rested his head on Lance's shoulder.

The water bender chuckled. "Am I going to have to take your watch?"

"If you want." Keith sighed, eyes fluttering closed. "I'm just really tired..."

Lance hummed. "Do you want to go lay down? I'll take your watch."

Keith huffed, turning to curl his other arm around Lance's arm. "No. I wanna stay up."

"With me? I'm honoured."

The firebender grumbled and nudged Lance. The water bender snickered. "Shut up. I'm too tired..."

Lance nodded, then wrapped his free arm around Keith. Keith nuzzled Lance. "Okay."

~

Keith wasn't sure if he was surprised to find himself in Lance's bed the next morning, curled up against the water bender.

The fire bender shifted and raised his head to bury his nose in Lance's neck. The slightly younger bender sniffed and sighed, stretching out slightly before relaxing. Keith hummed and breathed deeply. He curled in fingers in Lance's shirt, eyes fluttering.

Lance smelled Earthy. Like smokey oak and fresh grass while also smelling slightly of the salty water that currently rocked their boat.

Keith smiled as Lance's hand was placed on his waist and gently caressed him. "Morning..."

The water bender sighed softly. "Mornin'... Uhm, 'r door was locked, s' I brought you here an' fell 'sleep on accident..."

"It's okay." Keith breathed out, raising his leg and laying it across Lance's. "Jus' go back t' sleep."

Lance nodded, sucking in a deep breath. "Mkay... You, too."

"Me, too..." Keith muttered, sleep tugging him under.

~

After waking up once to Lance, Keith didn't want to go back to his own room ever again. All he could think about during the day was laying beside Lance in the comfortable, cool bed, wrapped in his embrace. Then, he'd spend the nights nestling under the covers with Lance if it wasn't either of their turns for watch.

So once their journey was coming to an end and it was time to return everyone to their villages, Keith searched for a way to keep them together.

Lance was clearly excited to return to his home and see everyone again. During meals, he'd boisterously plan out his return to the village and how to thank Princess Allura for choosing him to go. Keith would listen, smile and nod, while simultaneously wondering if Lance would be this excited to see him again.

Keith wanted to know so bad it began to keep him up at night.

The water bender must have noticed because he himself was still awake, rubbing soothing circles into Keith's back. Finally, he spoke up. "What's the matter?"

A sigh slipped through Keith's lips. "I just... I want to stay with you... I don't want to wonder if I'll ever see you again."

Lance was quiet for a moment, then he took the shell of his necklace in his fingers. "Before she died, Rosie made this for me. It may not seem like much, but it's my greatest treasure." Lance sat up, bringing Keith with him. The water bender slid the necklace up over his head, then over Keith. Keith's eyes widened as the thread fell over his shoulders and the shell hit his chest. "Take care of it until you see me again." Lance brushed his knuckles over Keith's cheek with a smile, then pressed his lips to Keith's forehead.

Keith closed his fist gently around The shell and nodded. "I'll take care of it. I promise."

Lance smiled. "I'm glad."

~

As Lance was drowned out by his villagers, Keith stayed on the ship. It was too cold for him to just rush down there with Lance, but he came up to wave goodbye.

Lance smiled at him and gave a wave as the ship began it's departure. A little girl sat on his hip, hugging him tightly while other children gathered around his legs.

Keith smiled and returned a short wave. "I'll see you, soon... I hope."

-----

3655 words.